Montana 83 riding conditions?

[johnsondasw]

We rode the Oregon coast in our June/July 2005 WA to Cal ride.  I remembered the Oregon section as a child in the 50s and 60s as a quaint and spectacular area.  Boy, has that changed! I thought much of it was now junky and crowded.  The larger towns had sprawl extending out in both north and south directions for miles.  The state should have done some kind of zoning or something.  I thought it got much more rural and scenic south of Coos Bay.  From there south it was quite enjoyable.  I personally would not ride the coast of Oregon north of Coos Bay again. One exception for the north part was Cannon Beach--a friendly, pretty, well laid out town with a great beach.

[adventurepdx]

Hmm...somehow I don't find the Oregon Coast as bad as johnsondasw or Mr. Bent, but maybe it's because a)I live in Oregon and b) I used to live outside of Myrtle Beach. Any ugliness on the Oregon Coast pales in comparison to that sprawltastic landscape. (And Oregon does have zoning in the form of the Urban Growth Boundary around urban areas, for what it's worth.)

Yes, there is some ugly areas, like north of Tillamook for a bit, the area along 101 between Warrenton/Astoria and Seaside, and (especially) Lincoln City. But you can avoid much of the ugliness around the first two places mentioned by taking alternate routes. And there's enough positives for me interspersed in there to take my mind off the bad, like Manzanita, the Three Capes Scenic Route, Slab Creek Road, and Otter Crest Loop.

I wish the Oregon Coast could be as quaint as it was 50 years ago. But it's a popular area, and things change, not always for the better. People are drawn to the coast. But I think there's enough good around all areas of the Oregon Coast to make a ride worthwhile. Especially if you can manage to go in the shoulder season.

[jamawani]

Back to Montana - -
It seems that the OP likes as few cars as possible.
Although Hwy 83 is nice - US 89 / 287 has that "hardly a car" feel.
For some riders - that is something that is highly sought.
Hwy 83 has lots of trees and water.
Hwy 89 / 287 is expansive and wide open.
Different strokes - -

[MrBent]

Yeah, J., my wife and I are fans of the ultra-light traffic!  That was something I enjoyed so much about a lot of  my riding in New Mexico when I rode across country in 2007.  The relative difference in traffic loads is hard to ignore.

Scott